Bury St Edmunds students become engineers

Students from Howard, Westley and Horringer Middle schools, in Bury St Edmunds, became real-life engineers last Tuesday.

They researched, designed and built solutions to real-life engineering problems using BBC micro:bit – the small, programmable tool designed to introduce young people to the world of coding – as part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Faraday Challenge Day.

Howard pupils at the Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) Faraday Challenge Day

Matthew Hyndman, assistant headteacher and head of creative media at Howard Middle School, said: “It was fantastic. The children were extremely good coming up with very interesting ideas to pitch to Faraday people. It was very successful – I think the children learned a huge amount and enjoyed it very much.”

Westley pupils impressed with their two pitches, a combined thermometer and compass for people who get lost and a device for monitoring dehydration levels during physical activity, and could be asked to attend a national final later this year.

Horringer pupils at the Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) Faraday Challenge Day